Donald Duck Costume Tutorial

This is a super easy Donald Duck costume tutorial. If you need to be your #1 duck for Halloween or a themed race (or just because, I don’t judge!) then follow these directions to make his hat. Affiliate links included.

This one quacks me up.

Sorry, you know the pun had to be used, so I figure it’s best to get it out of the way early.

I’ll admit I was stumped this year for the Disneyland 10K. I had no idea what I wanted to run in this year. I think the summer just overwhelmed me on a multitude of levels and my creativity went with it!

While at Disneyland in July I thought maybe I’d try a Daisy Duck 60th Anniversary costume. I could bedazzle a shirt or something and make this work.

I was digging those shoes! How cute would those be?!

Welp.

It didn’t work. It was pretty unrecognizable, and I threw the shirt in the trash after ruining it with a hot glue gun. The good news: it was a cheap one off Amazon, so I wasn’t out too much.

And my girls love the jewels (have at ’em, girls!), so it’s all good here.

Instead, I went another direction and chose classic Donald. He’s always been a fave- and I’ve been collecting pieces for his costume over time. I mean, why else does one buy bright yellow Zensahs?

My buddy Julia is wearing Donald for the 5K and had an adorable bow made for herself.

Annnndddd… she said I could borrow it.

SOLD!

I’ll pick that up after she runs and add it to my costume. But just in case there’s a costume mix up or something happens, I came up with a DIY Donald Duck costume at home.

Donald Duck Costume Shirt

I started by making the red ribbon into a bow and pinning it to the shirt with a safety pin.

I added the yellow strips of adhesive craft foam to the shirt at angles to mimic the sailor look on Donald’s shirt.

Craft foam is amazing: don’t underestimate its uses! Most of my costumes end up with craft foam in some shape or form.

For a few hours, it will hold. Even when you are running.

Donald Duck Costume Feet

I decided to make some duck feet for fun.

There may be a limit to craft foam, so I’m not sure how long they will last on race day. But I’ll probably stick them to the tops of my shoes and maybe use a safety pin to hold them down on the tongue of the shoe.

If they come off, well, hey, I tried!

Craft foam is durable enough to hang on with pinning, so don’t be afraid to use one if you need it.

I just did a quick tracing on the back and cut out something that could be feet.

It’ll work for my purposes!

DIY Donald Duck Hat

The real challenge came in making the Donald Duck hat. I Etsyed and Amazoned and wasn’t coming up with anything that would work as a classic Donald hat.

Guys, when all else fails, check and see what those girls at Sparkle Athletics have done.

Donald’s hat has a black hat band and a bit of ribbon hanging off the back.

I measured my head with the hat on.

I’d suggest also adding about an inch and a half to your measurements to make sure there is give in the ribbon as it goes around your head.

Cut the ribbon to the size needed to go around the rim of the beret.

Lay the ribbon flat and stick the fabric fuse tape directly onto the back of the ribbon.

You’ll pull the paper backing off and apply it along the rim of the beret.

The fuse tape is magical.

It held the ribbon to the hat without any issues.

Pull a little of the paper off and go slowly around.

When you get near the back, be sure to add in a little give by leaving a loop like I did below.

That’s going to account for the give you’ll need when you put the hat on your head.

If you don’t give a little extra ribbon to the hat, you will end up with a super tight beret.

I don’t recommend that!

For the top ribbon, I cut a piece long enough to hang off my head.

I repeated the step with the fuze tape, but only needed tape for about half the length of the ribbon.

Then I cut a notch in the top to go around the beret stem (no idea if that’s the technical term!) and a V in the end that hangs off.

My (Donald) Duck Face.

This was by far the easiest costume I’ve put together.

I already had most of the pieces, which helped.

And the rest was just some arts and craft time!

Donald Duck, reporting for duty at the Disneyland 10K (and also the Walt Disney World Half!). See y’all real soon!

Donald Duck Costume Tutorial

Yield: Donald Duck Costume

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

DIY Donald Duck Costume with a Donald Duck hat tutorial.

Materials

White bottoms (I used a running skirt) but shorts or a regular skirt would work as easily

Solid blue shirt

Yellow socks, compression sleeves, or tights depending on your needs

Red ribbon

Black ribbon

Blue Beret

Craft foam with adhesive backing

Peel and Stick fabric fuse

Tools

Scissors

Measuring tape

Instructions

Make the Donald Duck costume shirt by turning the red ribbon into a bow and pinning it to the shirt with a safety pin.

Add yellow strips of adhesive craft foam to the shirt at angles to mimic the sailor look on Donald's shirt. Side note: craft foam is amazing! Don't underestimate its uses!

Make the Donald Duck Costume Feet. I just did a quick tracing on the back of the yellow craft foam and cut out something that could be feet.

Make Donald Duck's hat by using a blue beret (purchase on Amazon).

Donald's hat has a black hat band and a bit of ribbon hanging off the back. To add this, be sure to follow these instructions!

Measure around your head with the hat on.

Add about an inch and a half to your measurements to make sure there is give in the ribbon as it goes around your head.

Cut the ribbon to the size needed to go around the rim of the beret.

Lay the ribbon flat and stick the fabric fuse tape directly onto the back of the ribbon.

You'll pull the paper backing off and apply it along the rim of the beret. The fuse tape is magical!

Pull a little of the paper off and go slowly around.When you get near the back, be sure to add in a little give by leaving a loop like I did below.(see image) That's going to account for the give you'll need when you put the hat on your head. If you don't give a little extra ribbon to the hat, you will end up with a super tight beret.

For the top ribbon, I cut a piece long enough to hang off my head.

I repeated the step with the fuse tape, but only needed tape for about half the length of the ribbon.

Then I cut a notch in the top to go around the beret stem (no idea if that's the technical term!) and a V in the end that hangs off.

Patty Holliday

If she isn’t chasing her four kids around Northern Virginia, Patty is chasing four bars on her phone to share her authentic and fun stories on social media and her blog, My No-Guilt Life. She’s also one half of the Marvel Moms, an online community for discussing the Marvel fandom. You can catch up on her runDisney fun at No-Guilt Disney.